plus, jodi arias back in court and closer to learning if she will get life or death as her shocking comments after the guilty verdict have prison officials on high alert. it is may 9th. a special edition of "starting point" leave in cleveland begins point" leave in cleveland begins right now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com morninmorning, initial incident obtainp obtained obtained b horrop horrors horrors on behind me. we'we're goinp we're goiwet br but bur but firsp bt ariel castariel castrorari kidnapping three women. .

>> why are you covering your face? what do you have to say to those women? how could you do that? what kind of monster does this? >> now, to breaking news. really sickening new details of unspeakable abuse coming to light this morning in a police incident report that was obtained by cnn. it describes a decade of suffering endured by amanda berry, gina dejesus and michelle knight, including the women's accounts of the day they were abducted, what officers encountered when they first arrived at ariel castro's home on monday and how one of the female captives was allegedly starved and beaten during multiple pregnancies in order to induce miscarriages. pamela brown is tracking all of these horrific developments for us. what can you tell us, pamela? >> well, zoraida, that's right. we are learning a new emerging horrific new details from this initial incident report obtained by cnn.

in this report we're learning about the circumstances surrounding the alleged abductions. it said that amanda berry was walking home from her shift at burger king, told her that his son worked at burger king and offered her a ride. in this report he says he also lured both michelle knight and jin that dejesus into his car. from there he allegedly chained them up in the basement and eventually let them free from the clan chains and let them l upstairs on the second floor. michelle knight told police she was pregnant at least five times. when castro found out he would starve her for at least three weeks and hit her in the stomach to cause a miscarriage. according to the report, michelle was forced to deliver amanda berry's baby in a small plastic pool inside the home. castro told michelle if the baby died he would kill her. we learn in this report that at one point the baby stopped breathing and michelle administered cpr. the report also says that none of the women was ever treated by

a doctor while in captivity. and in this morning we're learning more about what happened monday when police arrived on the scene and the moments following the dramatic 911 call made by amanda berry. take a listen. >> might be three of them. might be others in the house. georgina might be in this house also. we found them. we found them. >> we've got a female. she's got a young child with her. we also have a michelle knight in the house. i don't know if you want to look that up in the system. 32 years old. >> and we have learned that when the cleveland police officer walked into the house he went to the top of the stairs, yelled, cleveland police. michelle knight, came out, ran into his arms and gina dejesus

followed her and ran into the bedroom and ran into the arms of the police officer. certainly dra certainly dramatic moments there. >> pamela, do we know why it was that those other two girls stayed inside the house? why didn't they run out with amanda berry? do we have details on that? >> well, we know that, as we heard, that they were not bound, that they could have run out and escaped with amanda berry. but it's likely that they were too afraid to. we've learned that, from sources, that ariel castro over the years would test the girls. he would pretend like he was leaving the home and stay around to see if they attempted to flee. if any of them attempted to flee he would punish them, discipline them. in this case it was likely they were just too afraid that he would return and that they would once again be disciplined. >> all right. pamela brown reporting live for us. thank you for that. and police in ohio had a close encounter with ariel

castro in 2008, even threatening him with arrest but it never happened. take a look at this police dash cam video. it show answer officer following castro as a suspect. pulls his motorcycle into a gas station. listen to part of their confrontation. >> let me see your driver's license. let me see your driver's license, please. what's. >> what's wrong? >> first off, your plate is improperly displayed. it has to be displayed left to right, not upside-down or sideways. >> the officer goes on to tell castro that he is subjecting himself to arrest for t not wearing a helmet and for failing to have a motorcycle endorsement. castro was never taken in to custody for that incident. for the first time in a decade the kidnapping victims in cleveland are surrounded by their family and friends. they're hearing their alleged captor only let them out of the house twice during all that time. but now everything is over. take a look at this. >> after more than a decade in

captivity, home at last. an entire neighborhood seemingly turned out to show support for gina dejesus, reunite with her family after nine long years. she was held captive in the same boarded up house as amanda berry and michelle knight, shielded by a family member and rushed inside, gina gave a thumbs up to the crowd. she was finally free. her father over joyed was greeted with high fives and lots of hugs. her mother said, she never gave up hope. >> even the ones that doubted, i still want to thank them the most because they're the ones that made me stronger, the ones that made me feel the most that my daughter was out there. >> reporter: blocks away, neighbors, family, and friends welcomed another kidnapping victim, amanda berry. she emerged from this police van with with her 6-year-old daughter born in captivity. amanda's sister spoke to a swarm of reporters, still emotional and struggling to adjust. >> i just want to say we are so happy to have amanda and her

daughter home. at this time, our family would request privacy. so my sister and niece and i can have time to recover. >> reporter: the third victim, michelle knight, remains hospitalized but is said to be in good condition. her family has said that she looks pale but they're hopeful she will be released soon. >> i'm just hope that my daughter lets me there because i would love to see her. >> reporter: as these three women begin to reclaim their lives, another prominent kidnapping victim, shawn hornbeck, who vanished in missouri in 2002 and found alive more than four years later, offered some advice to these brave women. >> your family is your strongest thing. that would be my advice, just to know that they are always there for you. >> so not much is known about michelle knight. she was the first of the three victims to be kidnapped back in 2002. and according to a police incident report, she delivered, amanda berry's daughter, six years ago and under a threat of death from castro, she even

revived the newborn with mouth to mouth resuscitation when that infant had stopped breathing. michelle knight's mother says she searched for her daughter on her own for years because she believes police gave up on the case. barbara knight now living in florida is hope for a reunion even though the relationship with her daughter was already fractured before she went missing. >> i'm thrilled. and all i want to do is hug her and say i love you and i'm glad it wasn't you that died. it really hurts because, you know, i haven't seen her in so long. and i can't wait to see her because she was my daughter and my best friend. >> and after more than ten years in captivity, amanda berry's first conversation was with her grandmother. listen to this. >> hello. >> amanda. >> yeah, grandma. >> how are you? >> i'm fine.

>> amanda's grandmother fern gentry joins us now from her home in hampton, tennessee. good morning to you. thank you for being with us this morning. i'm going to add a congratulations there because we're just thrilled and delighted that your granddaughter is back home. i know that you have been listening to all of this coverage and you know now about the allegations. how do you feel about everything that you're hearing? >> oh, it's hard to accept it. she lived like that so long. she's still okay and she's still alive. i just thank jesus. i'm so thankful she's home now. they're lucky. they're lucky they came out of that. >> a lot of people are saying that they're resilient. these are remarkable girls. so, you know, your granddaughter has a lot of strength.

tell us what was going through your head when you got that phone call from your once missing granddaughter. we were eavesdropping on the conversation so i'm going to say thank you for that. but what was going through your head? >> oh, my lord. she's alive, and i'm talking to her after all that time, which i never thought i ever would. but i didn't give up hope. i'm glad she's okay. what she's been through, she sound good. and it was a miracle that i -- that i get -- that we did get to talk. i know her life has been bad. >> take your time. take your time.

let me focus on something positive. i want to play a little bit of the phone call that we got a chance to hear. and then i want your reaction to that. >> okay. >> the little girl is your baby? >> yes, she's my daughter. born on christmas. >> your little granddaughter born on christmas. that was an added bonus for you, wasn't it? great granddaughter, i should add. this is your great granddaughter. >> yes, ma'am, it is. and i'm glad -- i'm glad that she had it to help her. i know it helped her. >> yeah. did you speak to her about that? we got a little bit of the conversation that we were able to participate in. but did you speak to her? do you know when you will be able to see her? >> i do not. i do not.

>> you've said that you thought amanda was probably dead, so tell me what it was like to find out that your granddaughter, yeah, that you haven't seen in a decade was alive all of that time. >> oh, my god, i just -- i mean, i don't know. your whole insides -- i don't know. it's just the thing that ever happened in my life. the most important thing that's ever happened in my life, that she's back, that she's back with us. >> wow. there are a lot of people who did not give up hope, who relentlessly looked for your daughter. is there anything you would like to say to them? >> i'd like to say thanks. i'd like to say thanks, the one

after went to that door, thank god. if she hadn't got out, i don't know. i don't think none of them would have lived very much longer. and i thank them from the bottom of my heart. and i'm glad amanda was strong enough to come to that door and come on out. after that long, she made her way through and got out. and lord god, we're all -- we're just beyond words. i mean, it's just -- it's just a miracle that she appeared back with us. i just can't -- it's just so great. i thank the lord, you know. i can't wait to see her and the baby. the baby's my great grandchild and i love it because it's part of her, part of our lives. >> and have you had a chance to talk to your great granddaughter? >> no, i haven't.

no. >> look, we really appreciate that you took the time to spend some time with us this morning. i know that this is just going to be emotional. i can only imagine what the reunion will be like. so if amanda is listening right now, which perhaps she could be, are there some words you would want to give her as well this morning? >> amanda, you hang in there, honey. you be strong. i'm praying for you. and i love you. we all love you down here, so you remember that. and day by day, you will get better. and we are all going to be together pretty soon. but i love you with all my heart. god, i hope you're okay. i just hope you're all right. and that you can make it day by day, one day at a time.

>> you know, i suspect that she will. she's got a great foundation. she's got a lot of love and support, including yours. so thank you again. and we look forward to the reunion. >> you're welcome. >> such a sweet lady. john berman is in new york. he has the rest of today's top stories. really emotional. i can't wait for their reunion. that's going to be something really spectacular. >> amazing, amazing interview. such overwhelming sense of emotion. our hearts go out to that grandmother. 15 minutes after the hour. a lot of other news going on. new development in the disappearance of michigan mother jessica heeringa. her blood was found outside the exxonmobil station where she worked. she disappeared on april 26th during her shift nape only found a small amount of blood and that her family has been notified.

so in just a few hours jodi arias returns to court as februariality phase in her murder trial begins. yesterday after 15 hours of deliberations, the arias jury returned to verdict. >> we the jury dooley i'm panelled and sworn in the above entitled action upon our oaths do find the defendant as to count one first degree murder guilty. >> so the verdict was one thing, but then there was a stunning development just minutes after the verdict, jodi arias tells a phoenix television station she would rather get the death penalty than life in prison, prompting authorities to put her on suicide watch. cnn's ted rowlands is live in phoenix with more on that really shocking interview, ted. i simply can't believe it happened at all. >> yeah. it's hard to imagine that the jail allowed her to do it. the courthouse, the sheriff's department, and her lawyers allowed her to talk when she still has yet to be sentenced and facing a possible death

sentence. it's just the latest twist in this bizarre sort of made for tv case that continues. she will be back in court later today as the death penalty phase begins here. but she says she was shocked by the guilty verdict the first degree murder guilty verdict. >> do find the defendant as to count one first degree murder guilty. >> jodi arias had very little reaction in the courtroom to the guilty verdict, but minutes later, she did an interview with phoenix television station ksaz. arias says, she understands why the jury didn't believe her because of the lies she originally told investigators. but she maintains that she didn't plan the murder of her ex-boyfriend travis alexander. >> there was no premeditation on my part. i can see how things look that way. but i didn't expect the premeditation. i can see maybe the felony murder because of how the law is written but i didn't -- the whole time i was fairly competent i wouldn't bet

premeditation because there was no premeditation. >> reporter: she also said she hopes the family of travis alexander will be able to find peace. in the courtroom when the verdict was read, alexander's sisters broke down with emotion. >> they're happy. you know, we would rather have travis back but we can't have travis back. so with that said, this is a good day. >> reporter: outside the courthouse hundreds of spectators cheered the guilty verdict. some people were even overcome with emotion. >> why are you so emotional? >> you know, justice was served and that's all we needed. >> reporter: the guilty verdict means jodi arias is eligible for the death penalty and arias says she hopes that's exactly what her sentence will be. >> the worse outcome for me would be natural life. i would much rather die sooner than later. longevity runs in my family. i'm pretty healthy, i don't smoke. i would probably live a long time. so that's not something i'm looking forward to. i said years ago that i would

rather get death than life and that still is true today. i believe death is the ultimate freedom, so i would rather just have my freedom as soon as i can get it. >> reporter: and, john, jodi arias will be back in court this afternoon along with the jury. the jury will ultimately have to decide whether she lives or dies. >> ted rowlands for us in phoenix. so much going on in the jodi arias trial, that shocking interview. plus, all the developments in cleveland. new details about the investigation and the case there. we want to bring in hln's nancy grace. she has unique insight into both of these cases. nancy, thank you for being with us. i want to start in cleland where there are really just disgusting new details that we learned overnight. one of the victims, michelle knight, apparently telling authorities she had been pregnant multiple times, that arizonirizona yell casariel cas her and amanda berry delivered her child in a pool. no doctors present. what do you make of these new

details? >> well, you termed them as disgusting. i view them as evidence, evidence that will come into trial against castro. many people have talked about the way these women were treated and can there ever be justice for them. the harsh reality is, there is no justice for them because how can you recapture the decade that they were held captive in this boarded up home, only visited by a monster that repeatedly raped them. there is no justice. but you can put a band-aid on that gaping wound knowing that he is locked away forever and he can never hurt another child. >> what does that evidence do to help get that band-aid that you're talking about? >> well, of course, you have to have the evidence to build a case, to get a conviction.

it's very, very difficult to speak to rape victims because they're so distraught. and the feeling of helplessness is overwhelming, that feel willing follow them the rest of their lives. what i'm specially concerned about, however, at this juncture, is the child that was born in and raised in captivity. so far i have not heard any charges in relation to child abuse. >> no, we haven't heard those charges yet. of course, investigators say there could be more charges. nancy, learning new details about how these three young women were abducted. ariel castro picked them all up in separate times in his car, offering them rides. you know, you're a parent of young children. you know, what do parents say to their kids about how to be safe? >> it's very difficult, especially with children as young as mine, who are only 5 years old, to talk to them about stranger danger in a way that

doesn't give them nightmares, that doesn't terrify them from living their own life, from going out on a playground and being free as a child, but the sad reality is it's not the way it was when we grew up. you can't hop on your bike and ride until it's time for super around you come back home. it's not like that anymore. this is a stereo typical manner of abduction for children. if you look back over time, look at aaron runnion's child, that's how her child was picked up. it goes on and on and on where the perpetrator is in a car and lures the child in, can you help me find my puppy, do you want some candy, we know your mommy, she says it's okay. i'm taking you to your mommy. the catch phrases are as old as time. and once again, it worked here, not once but three times in a row. >> ariel castro making his first court appearance in an hour. we will cover it live. do you expect him to speak? >> he makes me sick. he makes me sick.

i have dealt with so many rape victims. i can't even count them. and what i go through listening to them recount what happened to them. and that's just on one rape, all right? these women were tortured and held as kidnapped victims for years in this boarded up home right under the noses of the neighbors. no one could help them. and there's a lot of blame, like could the police have done more, well, you know what, maybe they could have if they had the right information. but let's not put the focus on them. let's put the focus where it belongs, on castro. >> before we let you go, nancy, let me ask you about the jodi arias case because you're in arizona cover that. there was the verdict which we all watched yesterday. and then shortly after the verdict, something i thought was dumbfounding, which was an interview. jodi arias did an interview where she talked about what sentence -- what she would like to see. let's listen to what she said.

>> well, the worst outcome for me would be b natural life. i would much rather die sooner than later. longevity runs in my family. i'm pretty healthy. i don't smoke. i would probably live a long time. so that's not something i'm looking forward to. i said years ago i would rather get death than life, and that still is true today. i believe death is the ultimate freedom, so i would rather just have my freedom as soon as i can get it. >> as i said, i was surprised to see that at all. but what was your reaction to what she said? >> i was dumbfounded. earlier i heard one of the reporters saying how could her attorneys let her do this? there's no letting jodi do anything. it's amazing to me that she gets up out of the chair where she is convicted and the slaughter of her lover travis alexander walks through the door out of the jury's purview and plops down in

a chair and starts giving interviews where she goes on to call the murder victim, travis alexander, a hypocrite. it's incredible to me. and here's a news flash for jodi arias, reverse psychology, telling the jury you want the death penalty, that only works when your target doesn't realize it's the object of reverse psychology. all right? because saying i would rather have death over life, i'm not buying this. this has been a dpifight for he life all along. and the fact that she's willing to trash the victim within minutes after her conviction is amazing to me. >> so you see this as kind of legal jujitsu. she wants the death sentence. you think she's trying to convince the jury not to give her what she wants? >> i don't know anything about j jujitsu, i don't know what you're talking about. she was on the stand for 18 days, unprecedented, lying through her tooetd on this jury and now trashing the murder

victim if she didn't want to live. plus, what, are you telling me you actually believe jodi arias? >> oh, no. i was curious what you thought her motivation was there, nancy. i'd like to know what you think about the death penalty in this case, based on everything the jury heard, based on everything the jury asked during this case, and they asked a lot, do you think this is a jury that is likely to give her the death penalty? >> well, they obviously had issues and hold-outs on giving the murder one conviction. that bodes ill for the death penalty. i've seen longer deliberations that ended in a murder one and a death penalty sentence. i'm referring specifically to david westerfield just right off the top of my head where the jury went ten days, came back with a murder one and handed down a death penalty. i'm more concerned with the verdict that speaks the truth in this case which the jury did render. when you don't know a horse, look at the track record. the last time a woman was executed in arizona was 83 years ago when i believe her name was

eva duke and was put to death for killing a rancher. there are only two other women on death row here right now. one of them put there by prosecutor juan martinez. the stats are against the death penalty. i would say the main thing for this family peace of mind is that this verdict was handed down. >> and you mentioned her 18 days on the stand. again, we talked about the positioning over the course of this entire case. those 18 days with the jury staring at her every day, that designed to make them maybe blink when they had the opportunity to give her the death penalty? >> well, you know, i think that whole thing backfired. i think it was a boomerang right to jodi air rizoir head because nail in the coffin was her own testimony. i think if she had remained silent and not taken the stand she would have faired much better. i don't think her being on the stand for 18 days, leag days, l jury, and they knew it, did her

any favors. >> you don't think her lawyers let her do this interview last night. you don't think you let her do anything. what about law enforcement? do you think that the prison there, that the legal system in arizona should have allowed a convicted murderer to be doing a television interview so soon after a verdict? >> you know what, i'm going to hold off on throwing the stone at the jail. she wanted to talk. if she hadn't been allowed to talk, then she would have raised kaine about that. and another thing, just between me and you, jodi arias keep talking please so they can bring all of that in to the jury at sentencing phase. the more she talks and the more this jury hears her. calling travis alexander a hypocrite, he's dead in the grave with his neck slashed. he's a hypocrite? is she crazy? legally, no, she's not. but if she keeps talking it can all come in in front of the

jury. so keep on keeping on, arias. >> nancy grace, so great to have you here this morning on cnn. thanks so much for being with us. appreciate it. >> thank you for inviting me. ahead on "starting point," we are live in cleveland with the latest on the rescue of those three women. disturbing details we learned about their life in captivity. we'll tell you about that coming up next. then, what is next for jodi arias? will she get life or death in the sentencing phase? we're going to hear from criminal defense attorney joe tacopina in this case.

we begin this half hour with breaking news in the cleveland kidnapping investigation, including just horrifying new details of the abuse that was suffered by amanda berry, gina

dejesus and michelle knight over a course of a decade allegedly at the hands of this man, a former school bus driver who police say held the three women captive inside his home. he faces arraignment in the next hour on kidnapping and rape charges. we're going to bring that to you live. that is scheduled at 8:30 eastern. for more right now let's go to pamela brown. good morning to you, pamela. >> good morning to you, zoraida. that's right, ariel castro facing four counts of kidnapping, three counts of rape. he is expected to appear behind he me here before a judge at 8:30 this morning as the country celebrates the freedom of the victims he allegedly held captive. some unspeakable details of their confinement are now emerging. the initial incident report obtained by cnn spells out a number of the or rid details. amanda berry's baby was born in a plastic pool delivered by michelle knight. when the baby was born she

stopped breathing and castro told knight if the baby died he would kill her. amanda berry told police the baby's father is the suspect, ariel castro. michelle knight says she was pregnant at least five times by the suspect, each time forced to abort the baby by starvation and by castro repeatedly punching her in the stomach. the women told police that none of them were ever treated by a doctor while in captivity. when police entered the home monday, no one was found in the basement, but as an officer neared the top of the stairs and yelled cleveland police, the report says michelle knight threw herself into his arms. then dejesus rushed out of the bedroom and also threw herself into the cop's arms. >> we found them. we found them. >> reporter: a law enforcement source tells cnn that amanda berry had hit her breaking point, that she was desperate to get out of the house on seymour avenue. why was she able to escape now after more than ten years in captivity? >> something must have clicked and she saw an opportunity.

and she took that opportunity and i said it the other day and i'll say it today, that, you know, she is the true hero. >> reporter: that same source says the other two women, jin that dejesus and michelle knight, could also have run but chose not to even though they were not bound and that decision we reflected the women's state of mind. the source went on to say the women relied on each other for survival and did area act but mostly kept in separate rooms. they only left the house twice. >> we were told they left the house and went into the garage in disguise, so those are the two times that were mentioned or that they can recall. >> reporter: the homeowner, 52-year-old ariel castro, was charged with kidnapping and raping the three young women. he's also charged with kidnapping berry's 6-year-old daughter who was born in captivity. >> i just signed criminal complaints charging ariel castro with four counts of kidnapping and three counts of rape. >> reporter: again, 8:30 this

morning ariel castro will make his first appearance before a judge. he faces four counts of kidnapping, three counts of rape, and, zoraida, these are just the charges in a criminal complaint. he could face more charges soon. >> what else can we expect in court today? what about those other two brothers? >> reporter: well, zoraida, what we can expect today is a judge will read him his rights, ariel castro's rights, and then frent charges. ask him if he understands the charges. and then ask him to enter so a plea. he does have the right to waive a plea. also as far as his two brothers go, we're learning they will get credit for the time they served. again, they were taken into custody but not charged in connection with this case. we're learning they will get credit for the time they served and that they may not be released right away. they could be taken to the police department and be released from there.

zoraida? >> all right. pamela brown reporting live for us. john, you know, yesterday when we found out that the other two brothers were not going to be charged, at least with this particular -- in this particular incident, i reached out to a cousin of ariel castro to see how she was feeling about it. she wrote back she was relieved that it wasn't all three of them and the relief that they feel is for the mother involved here. >> a lot of emotions in cleveland. all right, zoraida. thank you so much. the other big story we're following this morning, in just a few hours jodi arias will be back in court for the penalty phase of her murder trial. she's been placed on suicide watch this morning after a jury found her guilty of killing her ex-boyfriend and literally minutes after the verdict, arias told a phoenix television station she would rather be executed than spend the rest of her life in prison. she was also asked about prosecutor juan martinez and what she would do differently. >> prior to trial i respected

juan as a very capable attorney, even though he's done some very shady things in my case, as far as hiding evidence and failing to disclose certain things, hoping it would just go away. but in the end, what does it t matter? it didn't hemi case. >> if you had to do this all over again, you're in the desert, you've got blood on your hands. how do you handle it? >> i would turn around and drive to the mesa police department. >> all right. with me now to discuss the arias case is criminal defense attorney joe tacopina. let me start with the interview after the verdict because i think it still is one of the most stunning things that many of us have seen. jodi arias does an interview moments after she is found guilty of first degree murder and she says she wants to be sentenced to death. let's listen. >> i said years ago that i would rather get death than life and that still is true today.

i believe death is the ultimate freedom, so i would rather just have my freedom as soon as i can get it. >> all right. a number of questions about this. first of all, her attorneys, should they have let her do that interview? >> her attorneys had no control over this woman after this verdict. clearly they didn't have much control over her when she was on the witness stand. this is nothing to do with the attorneys. this is a woman who is a control of her own actions, her own destiny, and clearly her own fate. >> all right. how does this affect what the jury may now decide on sentencing? >> i don't think it's going to have must have on an effect. the only thing i can see happening here is some jurors would be less inclined to impose a death penalty, could sit back and say, listen, if she doesn't care, sure, it makes my job easier. but, you know, clearly there is something going on in this woman's head. she's a sociopath but i think, if anything, what this shouts out loud and clear is the only appropriate defense in this case, not the three defenses she proffered, i have no idea what happened, i wasn't there, or robbers came in, i was there,

and ultimately the self-defense defense, the only defense that would have been appropriate is mental. not legal insanity but mental defense. she doesn't play with a full deck. that is the one thing that bodes in her favor when it comes to the penalty phase here because it's one thing to sentence someone to death. it's very difference than rendering conviction for murder. the sentence someone to die is a very different thing. i think jurors are going to weigh whether she's completely there or not. she's never going to see the streets again and she shouldn't. but to sentence someone to death is different. i think if there's a mental defect here and jurors believe she's nuts in some regard, i think they will hesitate. >> that's where we go back to the 18 days. the 18 days she was on the stand. it was, you know, shocking testimony all over the place in so many ways. no matter what she said, the fact of the matter is those jurors were staring at this woman for 18 days. crazy or not, as you say. does that make it harder for

them to sentence her to death? >> again, that cuts both ways. in some ways, yes, you get to know the person. personalization of a human being. you're seeing a person. they're not a defendant anymore. on the other hand, they found that for 18 days she sat up there and looked at them in the face and lied to them. that's an aggravating circumstance. remember, in this case what they have to prove, the prosecution here, is that the death was caused in a cruel manner, either physical pain or mental anguish. it really doesn't get more cruel or more savage than what happened here. i'm obviously not a proponent of the death penalty, but if you're going to impose it in this country she happens to meet all the factors. >> you're her defense attorney now. >> no, i am not. >> if you were. what do you do? you sound like that would be a tough job to have. >> someone asked me yesterday, what was the turning point in the trial, i said the turning point in the trial was opening statements. the facts in this case were beyond change. who do you do here? if i were her defense attorney at this phase, what she wants

and put her aside. now at the point where you have to relate to this jury. you have someone here who is obviously not right and we don't kill the people in this country who have mental illnesses. and she clearly, murderer as she is, she has a mental illness. >> you try to sell that toot jury during this phase? >> more than selling it. actually the facts probably bode in her favor when it comes to realizing she's someone who is unhealthy mentally. >> great to have you here. we're learning more this morning the dean tooteenager whd a soccer referee in the head. they plan to charge him with homicide by assault. 46-year-old ricardo died this past weekend after suffering serious head injuries in that attack. lieutenant colonel in charge of the air force sex assault prevention program is due in court to face accusations he groped a woman in a parking lot. 41-year-old jeffrey krusinski

will be arraigned today. that crime carries a penalty of up to 12 months in jailnd up to a fine of $2500. kacarnival cruise line triuh is back to sea this morning. they left the terminal in alabama where it was towed after losing power in february. more than 3,000 passengers endured a nightmare cruise for days. you will remember that ship being tow aid cross the gulf of mexico to alabama. triumph heading to the bahamas for more repairs and upgrade to entertainment areas. ahead this morning on "starting point," it is going to be a long road for the cleveland women who just escaped captivity. what will it be like for them as they try to re-enter society? we're going to be live in cleveland after the break. you're watching a special edition of "starting point."

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two of the three women rescued from certain hell in ohio are now home, but their ordeal is far from over. how do amanda berry, gina

dejesus and michelle knight reintegrate into society. here to help us understand the psychological effects and how investigators will rely on the victims to help build their case, we have dr. mcdavid, medical director and child ed advocacy and protection in cleveland and roger caniff is a former special victims assistant attorney and former assistant attorney general in new york. thank you both for being with us this morning. i appreciate it. dr. mcdavid, i would like to begin with you. my first question is, what are the challenges that these women are going to face as they try to rebuild their lives and reintegrate into society? we're hearing a lot initially about how they are doing that. we understand that gina, when she arrived home said stop paying so much attention to me. i'm okay. she was joking with her family. what does that say to you? >> well, i don't think we have any idea what these women are going through. i mean, we've never had a situation like this. we've had people who have been held captive over periods of

time, but not under these kind of circumstances, at least not that we've known of. i think it's probably closer to people who have been military prisoners, but even those people -- i mean, if you think of someone who was captured in a military prison, they may have had relationships with other people. they had other things that they could draw on. these women started out as teenagers, so they couldn't replaybooks in their head. they couldn't, you know, reread plays that they saw. i mean, a lot of times people cope with things using what they can draw on from the past. they were teenagers. they didn't have a lot in their past. >> and what about the little girl who was rescued? she was just 6 years old, was the daughter of amanda berry, born in captivity. are there some psychological effects on her that would be different? >> well, we don't know, again, we don't know what her situation was like. i mean, all i know is what i

hear on the news. and a lot of the things that we're hearing are second -- second and third hand information. >> let me add something then. i'm going to give you a little bit of perspective here then because i asked about that little girl. the family of dejesus was at the hospital and they actually met the little girl. they said that she's, you know, very precocious, that she's very lively, that she was telling a lot of jokes, that that is the little girl. that she is a normal -- in their opinion, a normal 6-year-old girl. >> well, i don't know that i would rely on their evaluation. i think that this child is going to need a professional evaluation and a lot of -- a lot, a lot of therapy. remember, we were told, and i'm saying we've been told a lot of things. and some of it is not verifiable or has not yet been verified, that she, quote, stopped breathing at birth. what kind of resuscitation did

she have, what kind of damage may have been done there? she didn't have prenatal care. the mom didn't take prenatal vitamins. we don't know anything around how this birth happened. so there's still a lot of unanswered questions. you know, we see children who are, quote, precocious, who are born to drug-addicted mothers. that doesn't necessarily mean to me that she's a normal child. now, it doesn't also mean that she's not a normal child. >> all right. yeah, we still have a long way to go there. you've ber viewed many victims in these types of cases. essentially what you are asking them to do is to relive all of this abuse that they've gone through. how do you get them to open up and tell you about what they went through so that you can turn around and help them? >> that's a great question. i think what's going to be key in this case, as dr. mcdavid says, this is unique. we really have not seen a situation where individuals have been in captivity for so long. usually what happens is the

prosecutor or an individual who is working with victims in order to elicit information, usually what's done is an forensic interview, which is an interview that is compassionate and defense i believe. it's compassionate in the sense that the questions being asked are nonjudgmental. we're being careful about the information we're getting. and we can -- rely on that information in courts of law. judges and juries can rely on it. the difficulty here though is going to be that it's difficult to -- it may be difficult to develop rapport with some of these victims simply because their experience has been so traumatic, normally what we do is we get to know the individual, we'll talk about a nontraumatic thing. whether it's an adult or a child, we'll ask them about last christmas or we'll ask them about a family holiday they remember. in this case, all three of these women have been in captivity for so long and, of course, the child involved really doesn't

know any more than captivity. so it's going to be a little bit more difficult, i think, they're going to have to be assessed, any individual are going to have to be very patient. they should absolutely rely on victim advocates, victim witness specialists and mental health professionals and really go slowly and take their time. it's absolutely doable, just won't be easy. >> it certainly seems that's what they are doing, that they are taking their time and surrounding these girls with a lot of love. >> which is great. >> the families super protective of them. essential, right? >> absolutely. the family support. and also talk -- >> i want to ask -- >> also time. it's important to allow these women to reacquaint, get back with their families. we can't just sit them down and say, all right, give me the facts, we absolutely have to give them time to reintegrate, relax, a couple of sleep cycles

and then get into it. >> and, dr. mcdavid, i wanted to talk to you about the families of all of the victims, because earlier, we talked to the grandmother of amanda, she was -- she had a hard time getting through the entire interview, being able to express her feelings. so overcome with emotion, as are all of the families here, so what -- what is in store for them, and how can they better adjust to themselves? >> well, i think for these families, even though they held vigils, i think they are truly surprised these girls, these now women, still alive. and i think after many years of probably reconciling yourself to the fact that you will never see them again, they are now seeing them again. not only are they seeing them again, they are very different than the people they saw 9, 10, 12 years ago in the case of one of them. they have expectations, they are frozen in time.

you think of the 14-year-old you knew nine years ago, ten years ago. and are you seeing a woman that has been through many horrific days and nights, and everyone wants to just think that love conquers all. they need a lot of work and the families also have to be open to therapy, everyone is going to need therapy. >> dr. lolly mcdavid and roger canon, thank you for joining thus morning and sharing your perspective. >> thank you. >> a long road to recovery for everyone. >> a long road and a lot of work. zoraida, thanks so much. ahead on "starting point," a royal visit to the u.s. can we expect prince harry to behave himself this time around? a live report, next.

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welcome back to "starting point," everyone. britain's prince harry heading to capitol hill today. he beginses his latest u.s. visit with a visit with arizona senator john mccain. max foster traveling from the uk to washington. fully clothed i imagine this time. >> absolutely. this is the setting for prince harry's first appearance in the u.s.. it's a landmine exhibition and that was, of course, very close to princess diana's heart. we see with harry is him picking up on her legacy. how he's keeping her legacy alive. and one of his charities, he'll be promoting that and you will see him promoting his charities

and representing british interested. and, for example, a reception at the u.k. ambassador's residence, promoting british trade. a big draw, big u.s. figures coming along. a big asset for the british government. i'm told he feels fired up about arriving here today. pretty excited. his tours are always pretty exciting. will be playing baseball at new york. visiting an area affected by hurricane sandy as well. lots to come over the next few days, but i can tell you, john, he won't be stripping off. embarrassed about what happened in vegas. what happened in vegas stays in vegas. >> i don't known americans think that's good news or bad news, max. we appreciate the report, nonetheless. max foster in our nation's capital. thank you so much, max. appreciate it. ahead on "starting point," the sentencing phase in the jodi arias trial begins today. what we can expect when she is

back in court. we'll tell you just ahead and new gruesome details in the kidnapping of those three cleveland women. the man charged in the crime goes before a judge in 30 minutes. we'll bring it to you live, you're watching "starting point." that's true. ...but you still have to go to the gym. ♪ the one and only, cheerios ♪ the one and only, cheerios so i can't afford to have germy surfaces. but after one day's use, dishcloths can redeposit millions of germs. so ditch your dishcloth and switch to a fresh sheet of new bounty duratowel. look! a fresh sheet of bounty duratowel leaves this surface cleaner than a germy dishcloth,

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good morning, everyone. welcome to "starting point." i'm onpjohn berman. >> and i'm zoraida sambolin, happy to have you with us, i'm live in cleveland. our "starting point," ariel castro goes before a judge today. we'll bring you his arraignment live in 30 minutes from now. shocking details about what life was allegedly like in what they were calling the house of horrors. how castro was able to lure and hold these women for ten years. plus, why comments after jodi arias made after her trial has prison official as letter. thursday, may 9th. a special edition of "starting point" live in cleveland begins right now.

>> we begin with breaking news this morning. a police incident report obtained by cnn describing what went on inside this house of horrors on seymour avenue, right behind me, for the last ten years. it describes unimaginable suffering endured by amanda berry, gina dejesus and michele knight. the women's accounts of how they were lured and abducted ten years ago, what officers encountered when they first arrived on monday, and how one of the female captives was allegedly starved and beaten during multiple pregnancies in order to induce miscarriages. a lot of disturbing new developments as we wade for ariel castro's arraignment a half hour from now. pamela brown is live. good morning to you, pamela. >> reporter: good morning, zoraida. at 8:30 this morning, ariel castro is expected to make his first appearance before a judge.

he could enter a plea as the country celebrates the freedom of the victims he allegedly held captive. some of the unspeakable details of their confinement are now emerging. the initial incident report obtained by cnn spells out a number of the horrid details. amanda berry's baby born in a plastic pool, delivered by michele knight. the report also says that when the baby was born, she stopped breathing and castro told knight that if the baby died, he'd kill her. amanda berry told police that the baby's father is the suspect, ariel castro. michele knight was pregnant at least five times by the suspect, each time forced to abort the baby by starvation and castro repeatedly punching her in the stomach. the women told police, nobody were ever treated by a doctor in captivity. police entered the home on monday, nobody found in the basement. but as an officer yelled cleveland police, michele knight

threw himself to her arms and dejesus rushed out of a bedroom and threw herself into the cop's arms. >> we found them. >> a law enforcement source tells cnn that amanda berry hit her breaking point. she was desperate to get out of the house on seymour avenue. why able to escape now after more than ten years in captivity? >> something must have clicked and she saw an opportunity and she took that opportunity. and i said it the other day and i'll say it today, she is the true hero. >> reporter: that same source say the other two women, gina dejesus and michele knight could have also have run, but chose not too, even though they were not bound and that reflected the women's state of mind. the source went on to say that the women relied on each other and did interact, though they were mostly kept in separate rooms. only left the house twice. >> we were told they left the house and went into the garage in disguise, so those are the

two times that were mentioned or they can recall. >> reporter: the homeowner, 52-year-old ariel cast rock charged with kidnapping and raping the three young women. also charged with kidnapping berry's six-year-old daughter, born in captivity. >> i just signed criminal complaints, charging ariel castro with four counts of kidnapping and three counts of rape. >> reporter: ariel castro will appear before a judge at 8:30 this morning. these are initial charges in a criminal complaint. castro could face more charges soon. >> pamela, have you more details on what we can expect to see in court today? >> reporter: zoraida, today in court, a judge will read castro his rights, present the charges, ask him if he understand his charges and then ask him if he wants to enter a plea. he does have a right to waive that, however. the prosecutor will also ask for

no bond or high bond, and then that high bond will be up to the judge's discretion about what to do there. his two brothers also expected to appear today after castro's initial appearance. they have not faced any charges in connection to the case. they could get credit for the time they have served and could be released either from here or at the police department later on. >> all right. pamela brown reporting live outside the courthouse. thank you for that. police in ohio had a chance to take ariel castro back in custody in 2008. take a look at police dashcam video an officer following castro as a suspect pulls his motorcycle into a gas station. listen to part of their confrontation over an improperly installed license plate. >> let's see your driver's license. your driver's license, please? >> what's wrong.

>> your plate is improperly displays. has to be displays left to right, not upside down or sideways. >> the officer goes on to tell castro that he is subjecting himself to arrest for not wearing a helmet and failing to have a motorcycle endorsement. but castro was never taken into custody for that incident. so it is a joyous time right now in cleveland, hugs and high fives all around. as the women who spent a decade in brutal captivity find their way home. in the last hour, i had a really emotional conversation with amanda berry's grandmother. fern gentry relaidrelayed a meso the granddaughter. >> amanda, you hang in there, you be strong. i'm praying for you. and i love you. we all love you down here. so you remember that. and day by day, you will get

better. and we will all be together pretty soon. but i love you with all my heart. >> fern gentry has spoke nguyen amanda by phone. she says that finding out amanda was alive was the most important thing that ever happened in my life. and we have new video of ariel castrol one of the reporters confronts castro. >> why are you covering your face? what do you have to say to those women? how could you do that? what kind of monster does this? >> in less than half an hour, castro will make his first appearance on kidnapping and rape charges. paul orleski with woio, live

pictures inside the courtroom as we await that arraignment. so, paul, one of your colleagues shot that video. a really quick glimpse of ariel castro in police custody. we didn't see him say anything, did he? >> reporter: no, he didn't say anything. that was a very aggressive reporter, covering his face. he will have to face the cameras, face the music, and face the judge. enter a plea of some sort. >> investigators tell us that castro is talking to reporters. how cooperative are your sources saying he's being? >> well, we understand that immediately when they confronted him at a mcdonald's, not too far from his house, they began to talk to him, read him his rights, and they read him his miranda rights, and waived having an attorney and began to talk to them. a lot of talk amongst some sources that he's confessed and maybe that would clear his

brothers. they -- it's a slam-dunk case. he's guilty -- innocent until proven guilty, but the chains in the house, three witnesses, the victims, and long history of this abuse, so doesn't have much to gain from a not guilty plea. >> tell us what you expect to see in court a few minutes from now. >> there will be three separate arraignments. the brothers not charged in this case. that's why they are still in court. they will probably settle the cases today. the judge could find them. they settle the old tickets and the stuff laying around, they can bond themselves out. different story on him. each of these will take 90 seconds or two minutes. a high bond will be set, possibly no bond. i would suspect no bond in this case. he'll be appointed a lawyer, and plead not guilty here.

it will be bound over to the grand jury, all evidence will be presented to that grand jury this is a municipal city of cleveland hearing. bound over to the county grand jury. >> and, paul, i want to talk about something we witnessed here yesterday. right next to the house, to ariel castro's house, there is a boarded up house. and yesterday there were cadaver dogs in there along with fbi agents. do you know wheat happat's happ? have they wrapped up that investigation looking for other victims? >> it's ongoing with all three houses, two houses adjacent to castro's house are boarded up. they opened the doors, went in with the dogs, i saw them go in with a lot of evidence bags, and they got a few things, but not nearly so many. mattresses coming out of castro's house and bag after bag

of evidence. two adjacent houses immediately next to castro's house. >> all right. and we're continuing to learn about the horror that took place in that house. a leaked report allegedly that castro made one of the girls miscarry multiple times. what can you tell us about the details of this report? >> reporter: the details are horrific. you hate to use cliches, house of horrors, things like that, ropes, chains, people chained in a basement and locked into rooms where food was slid under the door. it is horrific. no question. but the police report is very, very graphic, gruesome, one of the women saying she was forced to starve when she became pregnant. she said at least five times. he starved her, would punch her in the stomach, she would miscarry, and when the baby jocelyn was born, they put the mom, amanda berry into a plastic kids pool for the mess to be easier to clean up and told her

if that baby dies, i'll kill you. at one point the baby did stop breathing and she actually rotar resuscitated the baby. repeated rapes and the mistreatment that went on inside that house. >> paul orlousky, woio reporter, we appreciate your time and perspective. thank you. in 20 minutes, we expect suspect ariel castro to be arraigned. live look at the courtroom. a quick peek at that again. we'll take that live for you as well at 8:30. john berman in new york with the rest of the day's top stories. >> thank you. we'll get back to cleveland the minute that arraignment begins. new this morning, a possible break in the disappearance of missing michigan mother jessica heeringa. her blood was found outside the exxonmobil station where she disappeared. they only found a small amount

of blood. her family has been notified. jodi arias returns to court as the penalty phase of her murder trial begins. yesterday, after 15 hours of deliberations, the arias jury returned a verdict. >> we, the jury, dually impanelled and sworn, finds the defendant as to count one, first degree murder, guilty. >> after the verdict, jodi arias told a phoenix tv station that she would rather get the death penalty than life in prison. that prompted authorities to put her on suicide watch. ted rowlands live in phoenix. >> reporter: good morning. hard to believe her attorneys allowed her to do that interview. she said she was surprised by the interview and would rather be executed than live the rest of her life in prison. >> as to count one, first degree

murder, guilty. >> reporter: jodi arias had very little reaction in the courtroom to the guilty verdict. minutes later, an interview with phoenix television station ksaz. arias says she understand why the jury didn't believe her because of the lies she originally told investigators, but she maintains that she didn't plan the murder of her ex-boyfrie ex-boyfriend, travis alexander. >> there was no premeditation on my part. i could see maybe the felony murder because of how the law is written, but i didn't -- the whole time i was fairly confident i wouldn't get premeditation, because there was no premeditation. >> reporter: she hopes the family of travis alexander will be able to find peace. in the courtroom when the verdict was read, alexander's sisters broke down with emotion. >> they are happy. we can't have travis back, but we can't have travis back. with that said, this was a good

day. >> reporter: outside the courthouse, hundreds of spectators cheered the guilty verdicts. some were overcome with emotion. >> why so emotional? >> you know, justice was served and that's all we needed. >> reporter: the guilty verdict means jodi arias is eligible for the death penalty and arias hopes that's exactly what her sentence will be. >> the worst outcome for me would be natural life. i would much rather die sooner than later. longevity runs in my family. i'm pretty healthy, don't smoke, and i would probably live a long time. not something i am looking forward to. i said years ago i would rather get death than life and that's still true today. death is the ultimate freedom. i would rather have my freedom as soon as i can get it. >> reporter: jodi arias and the jury will be back in court in afternoon here in phoenix as the death penalty phase begins.

>> ted rowlands in phoenix, we'll be back at 4:00 p.m. when that begins. ahead on "starting point," the sentencing phase of the jodi arias trial begins today. we'll speak with travis alexander's close friend and a father figure to alexander, and we'll get his reaction to the guilty verdict and what he hopes happens next. you're watching "starting point." we make meeting times, lunch times and conference times. but what we'd rather be making are tee times.

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we don't let frequent heartburn come between us and what we love. so if you're one of them people who gets heartburn and then treats day after day... block the acid with prilosec otc and don't get heartburn in the first place! [ male announcer ] one pill each morning. 24 hours. zero heartburn. welcome back to "starting point," everybody. death or life? that is the decision facing jurors as the penalty phase of the jodi arias trial begins today. arias has already made her choice in a way. just moments after being convicted of murdering travis alexander, she told a tv interviewer she would prefer the death penalty. joining me is travis alexander's close friend, a mentor and father figure, dr. carl hyatt.

i know no verdict will ever bring your friend, travis alexander back, but i would like your reaction when you heard the news of the verdict yesterday. >> well, my reaction was not so much vindication or revenge for jodi. it was more for validation, you know, for travis. i didn't know jodi that well, we had her over, travis brought her. i knew travis really well and i knew that he had left jodi a year before she killed him. and i knew he was trying to get his life back. in a group meeting, i had spoken to his more mown bishop, who was in constant contact with travis. he knew he was headed back in the right direction, believed in the grace of christ as a christian mormon, and felt like if he repented, he could -- he could get his life back, and he was trying to get away from

jodi, and, sure, he was a sinner and everybody saw that in the courtroom, but he also was a penetant, humble guy, trying to repent and improve and have the full grace of christ in his life. that just didn't come out. this is more of a validation for travis and who he was what wasn't really shown in the courtroom. >> you call it a validation, the big question is what happens next. the sentencing phase begins today, jodi arias, after the guilty verdict was delivered, gave a television interview where she said the sentence she might like to see. listen to what she said. >> i said years ago, i would rather get death than life and that is still true today. i believe death is ultimate freedom, i would rather have freedom as soon as i could get

it. >> jodi arias essentially asking for the death penalty. as a friend of travis alexander, what is the sentence you would like to see? >> you know, i don't really have major feelings toward jodi, again, revenge or anything like that. to kill somebody. the only thing i known this country, we have a system of law and order and so i feel like penalties such as the death penalty, not so much punishment for jodi, but to keep order, so the next person doesn't do the same thing, we can't just let people off, then we will not have order. we'll have chaos. so part of that keeping order and we have a -- a rule of law, is enforcing maximum sentences, so if the death penalty is -- is going to help in that regard, i think that's -- that should occur, again, i'm not great and

big -- i'm not a big person for the death penalty or anything like that or revenge for jodi, but i think that punishments are not really "punishments." they are preventative things for the rest of society to stay in line. >> doctor, this trial became something of a spectacle since january and yesterday when the verdict was read, there were hundred dollars of people by the courthouse and a big cheer went up. as a friend, what was it like to see the spectacle surrounding this case? >> well, as a matter of fact, i was asked to interview several times, because travis called me his arizona dad, and i knew him pretty intimately and loved him. he went on vacations with us and everything, and i felt -- myself, i felt more of a sigh of relief. like, okay, travis. i think the world can now know who you are and not just all about jodi, and i stayed away

from this syracuse, i call it a syracuse court, but i made a promise to several people who asked me to interview when it's over, i'll milwaukee a statement on travis' behalf and that's really -- that commitment that i made is the reason why i'm here. so for me, it was more just relief. >> relief. and you said, are you someone who had met jodi arias when she and travis alexander were together, did you have a chance to see her in court yesterday? or before that? what you thought of what you saw? >> you know, i saw her here. every once in a while i'd get online, keep up with things a little bit, but i did not see anything live. you know, my impressions of jodi were not so tremendous that i can remember a whole lot about it, just seemed to me she was a little backward, a little introverted, a little to

herself. and i thought it was a little strange for jodi -- for trav and jodi. i didn't think that they matched well. but i trusted travis and knew he was such a builder of people that jodi could become somebody, you know, through travis. he built so many people, so i just relied on travis. >> all right. dr. karl hiat, friend, mentor, arizona father of travis alexander, thank you for being with us. >> can i say one other thing? i don't know if it's too late. but i love travis' siblings, love the siblings and i have been in some communication with some of them throughout the trial, and i've told them, you know, jodi took travis' life and they need to get this behind them, and trust that the judgment of -- the eternal

judgment will be perfect and not to worry about whatever sentencing she has. she receives, so, you know, they can move forward as well. >> i'm sure that family along with the friends like you, coming together at this time, has to be difficult, sir, thank you so much again. dr. karl hiatt, really appreciate it. >> you're welcome. other news. we are just minutes away from the arraignment for cleveland kidnap suspect ariel castro, accused of kidnapping and raping three women for more than a decade. we'll bring that hearing live when it begins, we're just minutes away there, and we're getting a sense of the schedule of how it will go down, zoraida sambolin in cleveland, covering every angle of the story. hey, z. >> good morning this will happen at any moment, arraignment proceedings will begin for ariel castro and his brothers as well, pedro and onil will make their

appearances first. ariel charged with kidnapping and rape and finding out more about the unimaginable abuse he allegedly inflected on three prisoners, spanning a decade of pure hell. a police incident report details how castro allegedly lured and abducted the women in the early 2000s, how one of his female captives, michele knight, was beaten and starved during multiple pregnancies to induce miscarriage and knight helped to deliver fellow captive amanda berry's daughter in a plastic pool while castro threatened to kill her. pa pamela brown is there to detail all dwochevelopments. we don't have pam at the scene. we are expecting ariel castro, and his brothers will appear before the judge, ariel castro

walking in right now i understand, and he is going to -- the two brothers as ian are appearing first. they are appearing first and then we're going to see ariel castro appear before the judge. there are some people who believe this will be a slam-dunk case, they believe the proceedings today are going to happen very quickly as well. we're expecting the judge to be in the courtroom any minute now. right now, what we're seeing are the two brothers, who actually are not facing any charges in this particular case. apparently there were some other cases before, and they will appear before the judge on that. and we understand that will be very rudimentary and quick and perhaps they will be released shortly thereafter. returned to the police station and released there. we are waiting for the arraignment of ariel castro. we're waiting to hear exactly what the judge is going to say. john berman, you are in new york. are you there with me?

>> what you are seeing right there, the two brothers that will face the judge before we hear from ariel castro. ariel is there as well standing in the back there, so all three brothers are in the courtroom. the judge will deal with the first two brothers first. this is ariel castro you are looking at right now. we can't hear what's going on in the court, but the proceedings look to be getting under way there. this in the wake of new details. >> individual cases. >> thank you very much. >> let's listen. >> pedro castro, open container, 2011. how do you plea? >> mr. castro would like to plead no contest to the open container charge. i would like to point out for the record this is the only charge this gentleman has, he has been in jail four days, i would request for four days. >> $100 in costs and credit for four days.

>> thank you. >> onil castro. charge from 2001, open container. >> with respect to mr. onil castro, this case is 12 years old. minor defenses, with would move to dismiss one. >> your motion is granted. >> and i would like to also point out for the record, these are the only charges that this man has, two minor misdemeanors from 12 years ago, nothing else. >> thank you. >> ariel castro. charged with kidnapping and rape on one charge, kidnapping and rape on the second, kidnapping and rape on the third, and kidnapping on the fourth. >> with respec to mr. castro,

he is waiving examination on each case. with respect to bond on mr. castro, mr. castro, 52 years old. lived in the area for 39 years, he is on unemployment compensation. and to the best of my knowledge, he has no convictions for felonies or serious misdemeano misdemeanors. >> good morning, your honor. >> good morning. >> brian murphy, prosecuting attorney, cuyahoga county prosecutor's office for the record. i would like to say that the charges against mr. castro are based on premeditated decisions to snatch three young women from cleveland's south side streets. two of the victims incurred a horrifying ordeal for more than a decade. a third for a close to a decade,

and the ordeal eventually resulted in a little girl believed to have been born to one of the women while in captivity. and also along with captivity, there were repeated beatings, bound and restrained and sexually assaulted. basically never freed to leave this residence. just as suddenly, unexpectedly and quite frankly, unek publ unexpublicably, they reemerged. hope to mr. castro. this home was a pronhome to the three women. the women are free to resume their lives. that were interrupted, and also with the promise and a hope that justice will be served.

to ensure that justice is served to protect the victims and the community that mr. castro manipulated and deceived. the state is asking bond be set at $5 million. thank you. >> thank you. >> and also that he have no contact with the victims or their families. whether he's out on bail or not. >> thank you very much. >> bond will be set at $2 million on each case. $2 million cash or surety on each case. thank you very much. >> you're welcome, your honor.

>> there is absolutely no contact with the victim or the victims' families. >> all right. wrapping up the hearing there in cleveland. the judge just issuing $2 million bond on each case. against ariel castro, totaling $6 million i believe. very interesting to me, zoraida, standing in court several minutes, eyes gazing down at all times. almost never lifted them at all. other than that, virtually no reaction from them. pam brown is at the courthouse. >> what we saw also, the two

procedu brothers appearing quickly. pedro first and then onil, they said there were two minor misdemeanors or something of the sort and immediately removed from the courtroom. but then, of course, what we were waiting for was ariel castro, and what he was going to be facing, and we heard at the end, the $2 million. i want to bring in pamela brown. live right outside of the courthouse. we were having some difficulty, pam, really understanding who was saying what. can you walk us through a little bit more what just transpired in the courtroom? >> reporter: that's right, zoraida, we were having difficulties here as well. what we heard and saw first, pedro and onil cast rock the brothers of ariel castro, made an appearance before ariel castro. taken into custody initially.

and no charges in connection with this case. but as we heard in the hearing, they are facing some misdemeanor charges, open container, drug abuse, so forth. it appears they will be released after they pay their fines and so forth. but we saw ariel castro making his first appearance before the judge. the initial appearance, the judge reading castro's rights to him, will tell him the charges that he's facing, ask him if he understand the scharges, setting bail at $2 million per charge there. we're waiting to hear if he will enter a plea. he has the right to waive that, however. >> and, pamela, is your understanding the same as mine, so $2 million per that would be $6 million. >> reporter: that's what it appears, zoraida. it appears $6 million. >> all right. let's head over to john berman

in new york. >> thank you so much, zoraida. i'm joined by former prosecutor wendy murphy. we're hearing the figure for bail. $2 million per case. i want to know what you make of that. is that the normal amount you would see in a case like this? >> i think it's an extraordinarily high amount and an appropriately high amount, not only ensures he will never walk free prior to trial which is a good thing, but sends a message that the judge expects the punishment at the end of the day to be substantial. that's what bail is an indication of, how much do we want to ensure this man's appearance for trial? a lot. we expect him never to walk free again once punishment is instilled. an interesting issue. i'm not sure if it is $6 million or $8 million. we have to remember there, are four victims here, three adult women and one child. now, if the judge meant those --

to say $2 million per case, then one could say there are four cases and an $8 million bail. either way, i don't think there is any chance this man is going to pay any amount of bail and get out pending trial. >> that's excellent point. we need clarity. $2 million per case, not sure if there are three cases or four. at least $6 million and maybe as high as $8 million. i'm joined by paul callan. a lot of money here. >> i have to agree with wendy. i think it's perfectly appropriate bail. the judge is treating this as a functional equivalent murder case. set bail that is an unmakable bail. think he's sending a message. almost like he took the lives away from these girls by holding them captive for so long and he's -- he's really treating it like a murder case. >> the prosecutor was making the case that now ariel castro is on the other side of his alleged

crimes, he is now the captive after keeping these women captive for so long. >> absolutely. judges do this all the time in very, very serious cases, they set high bail, doing two things, ensuring the defendant returns to court for trial, but also sending a message to the community that we take this very, very seriously and this is going to be a very serious prosecution. >> wendy, i don't know if you had a chance or paul to see if this was unfolding before us. looking at video right now. i was taken that ariel cast rock his eyes staring down the whole time. >> you know, he should have his head down, head hanging in shame. interesting this was such a short event. would you imagine with ten years' worth of crime to talk about, the prosecution might have gone on and on and on. i wasn't surprised that his attorney didn't try to argue against it or say things like he doesn't have a prior record, ties to the community or for that matter, he may well be the

father of the little girl which means he probably can't be charged with kidnapping. i don't think you can as a matter of law, kidnap your own child. it's an interesting legal question. but clearly his own lawyers don't even want to try to stand up for this guy, even if he does have a valid legal argument to make against the current charges. the other argument. >> i think that's -- wendy, that's unfair -- that's an unfair knock on the defense lawyers in the case, i'm a former prosecutor and defense lawyer myself. they certainly want to stand up for them. but they have made obviously an assessment that it would be pointless to even argue for lower bail at this point in time. it's such a brutal case and sometimes lawyers are just practical about that i think they made a judgment it's the right way to go at this point in time. >> that really was my point. but i want to add one thing, i think folks are going to become very angry about the woeful undercharging of this guy. ten years' worth of crimes, only four kidnapping charges, that's

a volume discount if you ask me. only three sexual assault charges for ten years? if he raped these women only once a morning thatnth, that's volume discount that doesn't reflect the severity of the crimes, what about that he beat one of these women repeatedly until she miscarried get y eiei? i don't understand this. >> that is a good question. you think there may be more charges eventually? >> i think it's likely. police moved quickly to put the case together, present it to a judge to keep the defendant in jail, and then a grand jury is open. a continuing investigation occurs and they can up the charges at some point in time. bear in mind, any one of the charges, kidnapping charges that

has been lodged would lead to a life sentence, in a way, you know, the rest of it is sort of cosmetic, most certainly, additional counts will be added and frankly to me the biggest mystery is the brothers, why weren't they involved? what is going on with the brothers? a lot of questions about that too. >> we'll get to that with wendy in one second. are you 100% right on the issue of bond. $2 million in each case. in this case, four cases, the first case -- three cases of kidnapping and rape. a total of $8 million bond in this case, which you both seem to think is impossibly high. but let me ask you about the issue of the brothers. because it happened right there before ariel castro's charges, simply dismissed there. odd to happen it right there? odd for investigators to give up on them so quickly? >> it's a very important question. and, you know, people like me

are trying to infer things about the relationship and the timing of the charges and so forth. the possibility exists that the brothers were picked up on outstanding warrants because the cops wanted to speak to them about what, if anything, they knew. maybe they are cooperating and maybe provided evidence to help prove the case against their brother. i tell you this much. i don't understand why it was such a quick decision to say they won't be charged. among other things, even if they never hurt any of the victims, they can be charged under ohio law, saw this in the steubenville case, the gang rape case in ohio, under ohio law, if you know that a felony has been committed or is being committed and you don't report it to law enforcement, that is a crime. i don't understand at least we're entitled to the answer of the question did they know anything and how could they not know? for ten years this is their brother. how could they know nothing? i don't buy it. >> you know, on the issue of the

brothers, it's shocking the police would have this press conference yesterday, essentially saying we don't have a case against them and we're going to release them. usually prosecutors play very close to the vest and say there is a continuing investigation, not launching charges at this time, so for cleveland police to say, you know something? we're walking away from the case of the brothers. hey, somebody was trapped in that basement in chains for ten years. and if those brothers were in and out of the house, and bringing food or drink or anything else, there is an argument here they aided and abetted in the captivity. now, maybe you can't make that case out through the captive girls in the basement, but there may be other avenues to explore that, and i would certainly hope that prosecutors are going to take a second look at the liability there. >> a lot of questions about this case, about this investigation, again, we just saw the suspect ariel castro, $8 million total bond. eyes gazed down. what it was to be like there

with him? just a few feet away inside that courtroom? we'll get the answer from someone standing very close by, when we come back. ar hotel. tel. free breakfast with express deals, you can save big and find a hotel with free breakfast without bidding. don't you just love those little cereal boxes? priceline savings without the bidding.

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just moments ago, that arraignment that we have been waiting for of ariel castro just happened inside the courtroom here in cleveland. our brian todd was i side. brian, you were there, you experienced this. we saw actually his two brothers appear first. pedro and onil and then ariel castro. could you walk us through what

was happening inside the courtroom? >> reporter: yes, i can, zoraida. a very fast proceeding. almost a blur with the two brothers coming in and entering the pleas on misdemeanors, quickly dispossessed of. and ariel castro in court, in handcuffs, not in shackles. never looked up, never spoke. the charges were looked at there, the prosecutor started to go into the litany of allegations against him, saying he acted in a self-gratifying, self-serving way. these women suffered years of horror in his house. were beaten, bound, and sexually abused. the defense attorney spoke up and said that he lives alone, unemployed, that he is on unemployment compensation, and at that point, they started to ask -- started to go over the

bond amount. the prosecutor asked for $5 million bond. but the judge granted a bond higher than that, actually. the bond would be $2 million for each case, and there are four cases against him. the bond, total bond for ariel castro is $8 million, after the hearing, we spoke with kathleen demets after the hearing. essentially that is a no bond, as he doesn't have the money to post bond. so bond set at $8 million, he was not -- he did not enter a plea. he was not read his charges, did not enter a plea. that will come within 30 days. this goes to the cuyahoga grand jury, and that's the way the case will beposed of now. the defense attorney says he will get a new attorney when this goes to the grand jury in cuyahoga county. she was here just for this

hearing. again, very fast hearing. never showed any emotion. ed ve. did not enter a plea. that's the highlight of it, and bond set at $8 million, zoraida. >> all right. and just one question. because this happened very quickly also, at the top. two brothers, onil and pedestrian rock we pedro, were they released? >> reporter: they were the first into the court, and they each had misdemeanor counts of carrying an open container. each had a count of that and one of them a count of drug abuse. one of them pleaded no contest to the open container, and the other, i believe that's onil, his attorney asked for the case to be dismissed because u.s. a -- it's a 12-year-old charge. that case was dismissed.

ariel castro quickly led in. the brothers cases were essentially disposed of in a minute or minute and a half and led out of the courtroom. >> brian todd, thank you for the details. joined by former prosecutor wendy murphy and cnn legal analyst paul callan. a slam-dunk case, what a lot of people are calling this. a huge bond. paul, i'll begin with you. he'll never be able to pay the bond. >> you can never say never. with bonds, what happens you go to a bail bondsman and if you have adequate collateral, in most places you only have to put up 10% or 15% of the cash value of the bond, arguably if it was $2 million, he would have to put up $200,000 and his house as collateral. having looked at that house, garbage bags covering the windows, i don't think that's

adequate for a $2 million bond, much less $6 million this is functional equivalent of no bail. i think it's safe to say he has been remanded until trial. there will be another hearing later on if he he wants. >> the details of the house, i believe it was for $14,000, and we heard there that he is on unemployment benefit now as well. so, wendy, what do you make about what just happened and what will happen next? this was a formality, primarily meant to ensure his rights are protected. the most important thing, get him locked up. he has a strong incentive to flee. you know, he knows he is likely to face the rest of his life behind bars, when you want to make sure the dguy doesn't take off, you have to impose a high bail and you have to do it quickly. he is entitled as a

constitutional matter to a quigg decisi quick decision on bail. i don't think it is likely to change. we didn't hear much about the fact -- and it's been reported, that this man apparently confessed. so strange to have prosecutors to say things like this is a slam dunk. you don't hear that. almost unethical to announce on day one of a case that there is no hope for the defendant to prevail, so you have to believe that it is because the police did speak to him and he did make the confessions we've been hearing about as have been reported. again, that leads to us believe this high bail is an indication that there won't likely be a trial here it will be a guilty plea and some kind of negotiated long punishment that will keep him behind bars the rest of his life. >> i don't think you can rule out the impossibility of some sort of insanity defense. obviously, this guy has severe mental problems and issues and certainly if prosecutors are correct, that they've got him on the facts, u.s. a slam dunk case, his only refuge will be

claiming that some sort of bizarre mental illness caused him to do these horrible acts if he's guilty of the acts under law. >> well -- >> for those -- if you could -- stand by for just a moment here. for those folks who were not able to see the arraignment, we want to replay that and it begins here with ariel facing the judge. >> ariel castro, charged with kidnapping and rape on one charge. kidnapping and rape on the second. kidnapping and rape on the third. and kidnapping and the fourth. >> with respect to mr. castro, he is waiving examination on each case. with respect to bond on mr. castro, mr. castro is 52 years old, he has lived in the area for 39 years. he is on unemployment compensation.

and to the best of my knowledge, he has no convictions. for felonies or serious misdemeanors. >> good morning, your honor. >> good morning, mr. murphy. >> brian murphy, prosecuting attorney, cuyahoga county prosecutor's office. concerning the charges against mr. castro, based on premeditated, deliberate and depraved decisions to snatch three young ladies from cleveland's west side streets, to be used in whatever self-gratifying, self-serving way he saw fit. two of the victims incurred this horrifying ining ordeal for mo a decade, the third for close to a decade. and this eventually resulted in a little girl, believed to have been born to one the women while in captivity. also while in captivity, there were repeated beatings, bound,

restrained, sexually assaulted, basically never free to leave this residence. just as suddenly, unexpectedly, and quite frankly, inexplicable ly as they disappeared, they reemerged, miraculously from a home of mr. castro, that was the home that was the residence of mr. castro's that was a pronto the women. castro stands before you a captive. in captivity, a prisoner, and the women are free to resume their lives that were interrupted, and also with the promise and the hope that justice will be served. to ensure that justice will be served to protect the victims and the community, that mr. castro manipulated and deceived, the state is asking for bond at $5 million. thank you.

>> thank you. >> and also ask that he have no contact with the victims or their families, whether out on bond or not. >> thank you very much. in these four cases, bond will be set at $2 million on each case. >> it was a very quick arraignment hearing, $8 million bond. that is the final say there. we'll take a quick break and brung you much more news ahead.

boston police chief ed davis expected to be the first to testify on the homeland security committee hearings on the boston bombings, and what to do with the remains of tamerlan tsavr v

tsavraev. no cemetery has been willing to accept the body of tamerlan tsavraev. and the wife of tamerlan has hired a defense attorney with experience in terrorism cases. she has not been charged and is cooperating investigators. the state departmnt's second highest ranking official in libya is offering up a harrowing account of what happened in benghazi. he told congress about a phone call he had with chris stevens. >> two missed calls on the phone. i punched a number i didn't recognize and i got the ambassador on the other end, and he said, greg, we're under attack. >> after 22 years as a foreign service officer, hicks claims he was demoted when he started questioning the state department's version of the benghazi attack. that is all for "starting

point." i'm john berman. stay with cnn for continued coverage of the rescued women in cleveland. "cnn newsroom" with carol costello continues right now. happening now in the "newsroom," home at last. cleveland reuniting and rejoicing. >> we are so happy to have amanda and her daughter home. >> even the ones that doubted, i still want to thank them the most. >> a homecoming and heartache. >> i'm thrilled and all i want to do is hug her and say i love you. >> this morning, a first look at the suspect. >> why are you covering your face? what do you have to say to those women? >> ariel castro faces the judge. >> unimaginable, sickening new details in a police incident report obtained by cnn. >> a